President-Elect: John Fortney Vice-President: Prince Kumar
Treasurer: Rick Goldsmith
Executive Director: Carol Hutchinson
RI President
Mark Maloney, Decatur, Alabama
District Governor
Beth Selby, RC of Cobourg
Editor of the week: Maureen Bird
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Wednesday Evening Rotary Meeting (WERM)
May 13, 2020 Google Meet only - 5:30 pm
Speaker: David Lockett
Co-Founder & Volunteer President, PACT URBAN PEACE PROGRAM
Host: Bert Steenburgh
David Lockett is a long-time Rotarian, volunteer, visionary and social entrepreneur who has spent most of his working life developing, delivering and funding innovative and cost-effective programs and strategies to address the underlying factors that lead to family and domestic violence, poverty and youth crime in Toronto.
As the co-founder and President of the PACT Urban Peace Program, and the co-founder of the Redwood Shelter in Toronto, David has leveraged his business experience, professional network and personal perseverance to make a positive and significant social impact through integrated,
best-practice solutions.
In 1987 David became a charter member of the (now) Parkdale-High Park-Humber Rotary Club and is also a Paul Harris Fellow. In 2010, he was named one of the 100 Canadians nominated by the Globe and Mail as a Transformational Canadian . In 2019, he was bestowed a Lifetime Achievement Legacy Award by Volunteer Toronto.
PACT has been acknowledged by the United Nations for its work and was presented with the Rotary Urban Peace Award named after past Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson. David sees himself first as a Rotarian and second as a social entrepreneur living the Rotary principal of service above self. In his current leadership role with PACT, David continues to focus on building and improving best-practice social delivery models so they can be scaled. More Information on PACT Urban Peace program is on our website.
Our meeting began after a beautiful piano serenade by our own Lorna Johnson. President Kevin greeted Rotarians and guests at our 5th virtual lunch meeting.
He announced the head table which included Pat Neuman, Chair of Fellowship and Entertainment Committee, Lorna Johnson, Liaison Director for the Fellowship and Entertainment Committee, Prince Kumar, Vice President and Shannon Lundquist, host to guest speaker Jennifer Lee.
Pat Neuman announced some exciting virtual activities for the month of May including this Wednesday’s cocktails and WERM. Prince Kumar provided an update on the most recent recipients of the COVID-19 donations.
What are the qualities of a resilient leader? This was the question posed by our guest speaker Jennifer Lee, Deloitte’s Global Financial Advisory Clients & Markets Leader.
She identified five qualities which leaders should possess for their businesses to sustain growth and emerge from this global crisis intact.
Firstly, business owners must seek solutions that align with their purpose. This is demonstrated by promoting systems that prioritize employees and customers alike. The next step is to stabilize today and use the volatility of chaotic times to create innovation for tomorrow. Jennifer believes that the third quality is the ability of leaders to empower their teams to make courageous decisions despite the outcomes. She promotes strong communication of the business’s narrative which provides a clear understanding of its business plan forward. Finally, a resilient leader stays focused thereby instilling confidence across the organization.
“Resilient leaders understand that the only certainty is uncertainty and use this as an opportunity for reinvention”. Jennifer went on to expand on this statement by defining ways in which leaders can transition their businesses through tough times.
Jennifer sees aligning with new partners who share the same vision, making use of emerging technologies and digital safety as significant to resilient leadership.
In closing, she left her audience with her best advice for business recovery from COVID-19. “Embed trust as the catalyst to recovery”. Trust will result in economic growth, customer confidence, and valued alliances.
It appears that we will be meeting virtually for a while. Our Executive Retreat at Camp Scugog is postponed so we will have a speaker for Friday May 22. Brian Westlake and a fellow "sweater" Paul Cusimano will talk about the work trips members have been involved in for over 20 years and future opportunities.
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Your Foundation Dollars at Work
#1: for Fife House, which provides supportive housing and support services for persons living with HIV/AIDS. A donation in the amount of $15,000 designated for community food support and personal protection equipment was granted.
#2: for Homes First Society for their COVID-19 emergency management fund, to ensure that their front-line staff and management team can respond adequately to the unparalleled health and safety challenges introduced to Homes First’s shelters and housing properties by the on-going novel coronavirus pandemic.
A donation in the amount of $20,000 designated for personal protection equipment and also sanitary supplies was granted.
The total amount granted from the Foundation’s COVID-19 $100,000 to date is a total amount of $50,000 including the above approved grants and previously shared grants to Lake Scugog United Church Camp $5,000, and Sunshine Centre for Seniors $10,000.
The Club Phil Fund COVID teams continue to meet weekly to review the submissions for funding from our Philanthropic committees. $100,000 was available for committee-chosen projects and is being allocated.
The Foundation will also match up to $100,000 of Donations, half of which will go to projects recommended by the committees. You can help by donating through the following link.
I am the daughter of Jewish immigrants who landed in Halifax in 1948, seeking safety and freedom to live productive lives. My father became a successful entrepreneur and my mother welcomed all to her dinner table. From them, I learned the core values of contributing to the community and making a difference for those who need a helping hand.
I am a clinical a clinical psychologist who has been active with community volunteer work. I was the President of The Schizophrenia Society of Canada where I fought against the stigma of mental illness and advocated for effective community services. I was honoured to receive a Mental Health Award from The Canadian Mental Health Association.
I joined our Club in 2004; what amazing 16 years! Chairing committees and working with remarkable Rotarians, creative ideas became many meaningful projects. To highlight a few: Developing A Power of Rotary lunch with Senator Romeo Dallaire who spoke about his harrowing experience in Ruwanda; Producing “The Spirit of Rotary” DVD and publishing a book, “In the Spirit of Rotary, One Hundred Years, 1912 to 2013; and Implementing new initiatives, such as Community Forums to help plan Committee funding priorities
I am honoured to have received a Paul Harris Award in 2015.
Currently, I am a member of the Transition Team. I’m also chairing a Task Force to explore “ Release Trauma “ of Veterans experience when returning to civilian life.
My parents would have loved to be members of our wonderful Club, where we respect kindness, empathy and meaningful community service.
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Virtual Cooking Club, May 9, 2020
Mardi believes in reducing cleanup! Once again we had a one-dish meal featuring meatballs, squash, beans, tomato and pasta, then broiled with a topping of cheese and spinach. A perfect meal to enjoy with fresh bread.
This is now our Saturday night dinner "out" with friends.
Several people cooked and ate it in advance, others were cooking while we met. Recipes are available from Neil.
You can tell that some of us are real cheese fans!
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Future Events
Thursday May 14 - Book Club 2 pm - contact jackie.davies@rotarytoronto.com
Thursday May 14 - Euchre - 5 pm. This week is full but contact jay.llave@rotarytoronto.com for future games
Tuesday May 19 - Garden Club 2 pm. Contact Jackie Davies
Weekly Tuesdays 7-8 pm Talking Helps a Lot
Covid 19....Our lives have changed drastically since early March..some had to head home early from winter vacations, many of us had to cancel vacations and trips planned.. some employees no longer go to the office, but work remotely...and we may feel like we are in lockdown...This group is for us to share how we have had to change our daily lives..our usual regime.. let's share our trials, tribulations and successes...it's not over yet...what will be the first thing we will do when the businesses open?? It helps to share what is going on... RSVP to Sylvia Geist sylvia.geist@rotarytoronto.com or sgeist@rogers.com
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SERVICE ABOVE SELF
The Rotary Club of Toronto, Fairmont Royal York Hotel, H Level
